


fire melts frozen water

by thishasbeencary



Category: Free!
Genre: (Very very light), Alternate Universe - Magic, Established Relationship, Fluff, Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Magical Realism, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-26
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-10-16 15:34:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17552339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thishasbeencary/pseuds/thishasbeencary
Summary: Taking a vacation with Haru in the middle of winter to a cabin near a lake was probably a terrible idea.It was a good thing that Makoto's magic provided a little extra heat.[Or Haru and Makoto take a winter vacation and Haru can't resist the water feat. both of them having elemental magic.]





	fire melts frozen water

**Author's Note:**

  * For [whit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whit/gifts).



> hiii! this is my gift for whitnerded for the makoharu secret santa! you had so many amazing prompts you suggested so i took a bunch of them and threw them together, notably: vacations, fantasy, fluff (with very very soft angst), wintery blankets and hot drinks and snow, and a touch of domesticity. i hope you enjoy!! <3
> 
> thank you so much to zombubble for letting me rant about a show she doesn't 100% know and helping me take random thoughts and turn them into a fic with a plot like ,,, sjklafda;;

Makoto threw a log into the fire, watching it only kindle and not get nearly as bright as he expected. He frowned, walking forward and setting his hands into the fire, holding them there until the blaze caught the log, crackling. He had never been fantastic at making a fire the traditional way. He tended to rely on his magic, a heat that constantly coursed through his body, letting the flames lick at his fingers and spread across the logs with his increased heat. It was easier, and the fires always felt… warmer to him when he did it on his own.

Makoto removed his hands from the fire once the flames caught, walking back over to where the rest of the wood was stored. The fire grew higher again, the flames licking the top of the fireplace. He smiled, closing the cover after putting in a few more pieces of wood and walking toward the kitchen. It was colder away from the fireplace, but that was to be expected. The temperatures were constantly below freezing outside, and it was one of the only ways to keep the cabin warm. He had spent a lot of time in front of the fireplace with Haru since they’d gotten there.

He and Haru had decided to take a trip to a cabin for some of the winter. The cabin itself wasn’t very big, but there were only two people staying there, so that didn’t matter. There was a full kitchen, two bedrooms (though they only had need for one, and used the other to throw their bags into). There was a central heating system, but the outside weather was just too much for it to keep up with. Makoto being elementally attached to fire helped that, at least. It kept the little cabin a little bit warmer. It was a really nice place - next to a glimmering lake and surrounded by trees so it was a really private hideaway. A perfect way to spend their break, as long as Haru stayed out of the lake for long enough.

Haru staying out of the lake, predictably, was harder said than done. From the second they approached the cabin, Makoto saw the way that he eyed the water. He just had to… hope that the freezing weather would scare his boyfriend away from the water.

Speaking of Haru, he… wasn’t in the kitchen.

He had gotten out of bed earlier than Makoto that morning, so Makoto had figured that he was going to go into the kitchen and start on breakfast. He’d only trailed a few minutes behind - getting out of bed ten minutes later and then another five or so to get the fire going.

Haru hadn’t _said_ he was making breakfast, but it had seemed like the most likely option when he left the room that early. But… there was definitely no breakfast in the kitchen. Makoto glanced into the other bedroom, wondering if Haru had gone in there to get dressed before he started to cook.

Haru wasn’t there, but there was an open suitcase. _Haru_ _’s_ open suitcase. Clothes were strewn about next to it, clearly he’d been digging for something near the bottom of it. Had he been looking for a particular shirt, or something? He tried to recall what they had packed first, but couldn’t think of it. The bottom of his suitcase was just his extra clothes, the things he’d packed in case something ended up not warm enough or they ended up doing something that suited more than just warm clothing. He figured the bottom of Haru’s suitcase would be the same way.

Makoto started to turn from the suitcase when he heard the splashing noise outside.

_No._ He knew that Haru loved the water and spent a lot of time in it. It had something to do with his magic, Haru feeling safer when he spent some time in the water, but - he didn’t go out to the lake, did he!? There was a snow coating the ground, they had a full bathtub and a hot tub and -

Makoto grabbed a spare blanket from the bedroom and dashed outside, trying to concentrate all of his warmth into the blanket. The snow melted underneath his bare feet as Makoto dashed to the lake and… there he was.

“Haru!” Makoto shouted. Haru looked up. He was wrapped in a thin towel he’d had since high school, wearing only a jacket, his swimsuit, and flipflops. Makoto groaned aloud, rushing at him. “Did you seriously go swim in the lake?”

“Didn’t think it would be that cold.” Haru’s voice was shaking, and Makoto really hoped it was his over-active imagination that saw his lips turning blue.

“It’s snowing!” Makoto’s voice cracked a little with his explanation before he breathed out, calming himself a little. “It’s _snowing_ , Haru. Of course it’s that cold.” Makoto wrapped the blanket around him. Haru surged forward a little bit, his body shaking.

Makoto wrapped him up tighter in the blanket as his eyes closed, biting onto his lip and rushing Haru inside.

He set Haru in front of the fire, still wrapped in the warm blanket, and lit a few more logs, tossing them in, already on fire. He rushed out of the room into the kitchen and prepared two mugs of hot chocolate, setting them down and then tugging Haru into his lap, holding him close and trying to spread his body heat to his friend. Haru breathed shallowly, his eyes closed.

 

* * *

It was warm.

That was a sign of hypothermia, right? When you got so cold that it started to feel warm?

Haru really should have known better than going out to the lake when it was snowing, but water did something to him. He lost his sense of… well, practically everything. He just wanted to be in the water. And the lake had such a glittering warm look to it that he figured it couldn’t possibly be that cold.

And it wasn’t that cold. The water had been so warm when he was in the lake, it was actually fairly comfortable. He’d spent a few minutes in the water swimming and getting rid of his energy.

And then came the point that he got out of the lake. As soon as he stepped out of the water, he knew that he had made a mistake. The air around him was cold and caught up to him quickly.

But now he was warm, and it felt like he was covered up. He blinked his eyes open slowly and they widened to see Makoto peering down at him. “Oh, thank god,” Makoto whispered, one hand reaching up to brush Haru’s bangs from his eyes.

“Makoto?” Haru mumbled, trying to get a grip on what was going on. Had Makoto found him outside? That explained the warmth, he supposed. Makoto’s body was always extra warm because of his magic.

“Why did you go out to the lake?” Makoto groaned. He reached forward then, grabbing something off of the ground and shoving it into Haru’s hands. “Hot chocolate. Drink. You were so cold. I’m glad I don’t have to call Rin and Rei and Nagisa and everyone and explain how you ended up as an ice cube on our vacation.” He buried his face against Haru’s hair.

Haru leaned back against him, shrugging. “The lake looked nice.”

“It was a _frozen lake!_ _”_ Makoto exclaimed before shaking his head. “You and water… I’ll never understand, will I? I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Thank you,” Haru murmured, taking a sip of the hot chocolate in his hands. Makoto had almost surely cooked it with his magic, the warmth spread so perfectly throughout the entire cup.

The water was nice. He loved the way it flowed around his body and wrapped him up safely. He loved the way that he could move through it without another care in the world. In water, he didn’t have to think, he only had to _be_. He was complete, and it was always the most calming and pleasant moments in Haru’s life.

At least, it had been, up until this point.

Water had always been his only safe haven. It was a place he could get away from the rest of the world and feel protected and surrounded by pleasant, calming, familiar feelings.

Now, he was wrapped in Makoto’s warm arms, his magical fire crackling in front of them. The blanket they wore was warm, probably heated by Makoto’s magic as well. Here, in Makoto’s arms, it was the same feeling as the water. Maybe the freeing feeling of being able to just _be_ was gone, but he was warm and he was protected, and he was content.

The water was his favorite place, and that would never change. But with the weather freezing, and the lake . Makoto’s arms were just as good.

Haru turned his head up to look at him and paused, just watching his face. Makoto was staring into the fire, a happy smile on his face as he watched the flames sparkle. Haru’s fingers twitched against the warm hot chocolate mug, chasing the warmth for his entire body.

“You okay, Haru?” Makoto asked after a moment. Haru looked up in surprise, wondering what had prompted the question. Was he shivering again? Or maybe he’d shifted his body the wrong way, or his skin was still cold.

“I’m fine. Just a little cold still,” Haru answered, staring at Makoto for another second before leaning forward.

Their lips met and Makoto let out a soft gasp, cupping his hands against Haru’s face. His hands were warm against Haru’s still frosty skin and he leaned into the touch, chasing the warmth.

“Don’t go out into the lake when it’s below freezing again, then,” Makoto chastised as he pulled away. Haru huffed out his breath, turning over and wrapping himself more into the blanket. He pressed his face against Makoto’s chest, listening to his heartbeat, angled so he could see the fire.

“I wanted to swim.” It was a terrible excuse, but it was the truth. Makoto knew that the period Haru felt natural away from the water was incredibly small. Something about him always wanted to be in the water, to be part of the water. It was probably something to do with his magic. Makoto had a gentle warmth around him, radiating from the fiery powers that he had. Haru’s magic was softer, but always dragged him back toward the water. Dragged him to where he belonged best. “I wanted to be in the water.”

“We have a hot tub, too!” Makoto scoffed, groaning and leaning back against the couch. Haru fell against him, shrugging his shoulders.

“Maybe I’ll try that tomorrow.”

“Please don’t make me go out in the cold and save you again tomorrow,” Makoto groaned, but he didn’t look like he was being completely serious. His eyes sparkled with happiness. Glad to have Haru in his arms, to be comfortable on their short vacation.

“I won’t freeze in a hot tub,” Haru said, in his best attempt at a soothing voice.

“I’ll just have to join you to make sure.” Makoto hugged Haru closer to himself and Haru blinked, staring at the flames.

Makoto and water. His warmth and his freedom - the two protective, steadying things in his life. He’d swam with Makoto before, obviously, but this was different. This wasn’t the two of them preparing for a competition, this wasn’t even actual swimming. They would only be sitting in the water, probably with Makoto talking. This was just Haru being in the water and being with Makoto. “If you think that’s best.” A warmth was spreading in him at the thought of it, though.

Makoto seemed to feel the same way, nodding his head and smiling down at Haru. It was a blight, blinding smile, something that Makoto seemed readily able to pull out at a moment’s notice. Still, something about the warmth and intimacy of the smile made this one… special. It was probably Haru’s imagination. “I do,” Makoto said absolutely, leaning down to kiss Haru again.

Haru lost himself in the feeling of Makoto’s lips against his own, nodding his head.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading! kudos/comments/bookmarks are always incredibly appreciated.
> 
> you can find me on tumblr at [yoyoplisetsky](http://yoyoplisetsky.tumblr.com) or twitter at [thishasbeencary](https://twitter.com/thishasbeencary) <3


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